Hon Hai reportedly boosts Q3 iPad 2 production from 14 million to 20 million

Strong demand for Apple's iPad 2 has prompted its component assembler Hon Hai Precision to reportedly increase its projected shipment figures for the third quarter by 42.8 percent.

According to a report by Taiwan Economic News , Hon Hai said it was normal for shipment forecasts to surge in Q3, but it declined to comment on the actual figures.

Apple sold 9.25 million iPads in the second calendar quarter of 2011 (the company's fiscal Q3) after selling just 4.69 million in the first three months of the year.

The company's difficulties in building enough iPads to meet demand appeared to be further jeopardized by a tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, but Apple noted that its production was not significantly harmed by the events.

Chief executive Tim Cook also noted that if Apple could have built more iPads, it could have sold more. With Hon Hai's iPad production reportedly increasing, market research group iSuppli has revised its own projections for global tablet sales, now forecasting that Apple will sell 44.2 million units this year.

That firm's increased outlook for Apple adds just 600,000 new units to its previous projection, but it added just 1.1 million units to its estimate for global tablet projection over the same period, essentially assuming that Apple would make up more than half of all those new tablets anticipated.

The revised numbers also give Apple a 74 percent share of global tablet production this year, compared to the previous assumption that the iPad would make up 64 percent of all tablet sales worldwide.